Got dino fever? Fossil Fair, the nation’s largest event dedicated to paleontology puts the latest science and breaking discoveries on display. Festivities abound with dozens of displays, activities and presentations by paleontologists from North Carolina and around the world.

Discover what it’s like to be a paleontologist, experience the tools and techniques used to excavate fossils in the field, and be the first to learn about the Museum’s newest discoveries as you meet the experts face to face.

Talk with Curator of Paleontology Vince Schneider and see some of the 230-million-year-old reptiles he’s discovered in nearby Chatham County. Get introduced to residents of the Dinosaur Death Pit by Dr. Lindsay Zanno, Director of the Paleontology & Geology Research Lab. Meet Historian of Science Dr. Paul Brinkman, author of “The Second Jurassic Dinosaur Rush” and an expert in dinomania and the modern obsession with all things Jurassic. And don’t forget to visit our state-of-the-art fossil preparation lab in the Museum’s new wing — the Nature Research Center — where you get a behind-the-scenes pass with Chief Preparator Lisa Herzog.

Bring in your own discoveries for identification or uncover fossils to identify as you sift through a load of Aurora fossil sediment.

Check out our “Ancient Animals” table with a live ball python, uromastyx lizard and an alligator.

Learn about fossil plants of North Carolina and fossil sharks and shells with experts from North Carolina State University.

Make your own dino-craft, watch a molding and casting demonstration, purchase replica fossils, and much more!

Go behind the scenes in the Paleontology & Geology Research Lab where you can witness fossil preparation in action, learn about the paleo team’s latest fossil expeditions, and meet dinosaur, crocodile, and turtle species so new we haven’t even given them names yet.

Get a sneak peak of the Museum’s newest dinosaur — a 30-foot-long Cretaceous megapredator.

Meet one of the most ancient crocodiles ever discovered, a bizarre new species from here in North Carolina.

Get up close and personal with the feathered dinosaur Falcarius.

Learn about research on dinosaur soft tissue and meet Nancy, a beautifully preserved duck-billed dinosaur.

Watch preparators clean newly excavated fossils.

Presentations

SECU Daily Planet Presentations

10:00 am

T. rex Under the Microscope: A New Look at Old Bones Mary Higby SchweitzerProfessor, Marine, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences and Biology, NC State University Curator, NC Museum of Natural Sciences Ages 12 and older, please

Fossil discoveries have revealed remarkable and unexpected birds once roamed North America. Come meet some of these unusual feathered fossils and learn their secrets.

1:00 pm

In the Time before T. rex: A Colossal New Discovery Changes Our Views on Megapredatory Dinosaur Evolution During the Cretaceous Dr. Lindsay E. ZannoDirector, Paleontology & Geology Research Lab, NC Museum of Natural Sciences & Assistant Research Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, NC State University All ages welcome

2:30 pm

Chasing Blastoids around the World: The Fossil Record of Paleozoic Echinoderms Johnny Waters, Professor of GeologyDepartment of Geology, Appalachian State University All ages welcome

Fossils housed at the Division of Fossil Primates can be used to document origins and extinctions in the primate fossil record. Fossil primates from Egypt document the origin of higher primates (Anthropoidea) while subfossils from Madagascar document the extinction of giant lemurs on the island.

The Formation, Discovery, and Conservation of the Mammoth Site Isaiah ReedVolunteer Fossil Preparator/Geology Student at Appalachian State University All Ages

A brief summary of the formation of the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs, South Dakota, and the conditions that make it a unique and valuable site. Followed by a description of how it was found, and how it is being preserved.

The third floor bridge will be open for the event!

3D Movies

Don’t miss today’s fossil-related 3D movies in the WRAL 3D Theater! See wooly mammoths, saber-toothed cats and other ice age beasts in Titans of the Ice Age at 10am and at 2pm. At noon and 4pm learn how paleontologists and scientifically accurate computer-generated animation bring dinosaurs back to life in Dinosaurs Alive!